‘Thank you, Ted, that’s brilliant. I’m sure she’ll keep you on the straight and narrow. I was actually calling for something else.’

‘Are you at work?’

‘Of course I’m at work.’

‘Do you need a new briefcase? The market has a leather stall, they’re very smart. I’ll get you one.’

‘Ted… I don’t even use a briefcase. Never mind. Look, I wanted to ask you if you recall any instances of married couples dying together in the last couple of years.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean a road traffic accident or a house fire or something of that nature: dramatic and tragic. I’ve got a missing person – a young woman – who baulked at the mention of her parents, and I was just wondering if she lost them together. She refused to speak and I’ve evidence to suggest that she’s suffering from acute trauma.’

Kelly heard rustling on the other end of the phone and Ted thank a market stall holder.

‘Not off the top of my head, but I could do some digging. RTAs don’t always come to me. Particularly if they’re on the M6, sometimes they go to a big university hospital in Liverpool or Manchester.’

‘Thanks, Ted.’

‘Kelly, before you go, now I’ve got you cornered, would you and Johnny like to bring Josie over for dinner this week? She’s got mock exams coming up in the winter and she’s thinking of using her sciences. Criminology. I wonder who inspired her.’

Kelly was lost for words. If Ted was right, and Johnny’s daughter was thinking of studying criminology, then Kelly couldn’t remember a time when she’d had a conversation with her about it. She doubted that she was her inspiration. Her relationship with Josie had always been fraught, for want of a better description. Josie was like a tidal current between her and Johnny; pulling first one way then the other, drifting between two poles, but never finding common ground. If Kelly had missed Josie’s transformation then she only had herself to blame.

She looked at her watch: it was time to wrap up the day and let her team go home. No further leads were jumping out at them over the strange woman, and the minor cases that were live, could wait until the morning to pursue. Rob Shawcross had a court appearance tomorrow, at Carlisle Crown Court, giving evidence for an assault, Kate was visiting a school to discuss career options in the police force, and Kelly had more cold cases to review. It was a lull like this that allowed them all the opportunity to get home at a reasonable hour, and pretend that they were normal.

Chapter 12